Roaring Lion

BACKGROUND

Despite how the old stories portray her, the real Roaring Lion was more terrifying than any rendition. She had a gentle voice and a loving smile, warm eyes and the ability to make even the clumsiest Tracker feel valued. Only her own mother could sense the violence within her daughter, giving her the Title of the Crimson Bloodbeast - which seemed unfitting at the time.

And even then, Blue Windflower had difficulty finding fault in her daughter - and if the rumors were true, she could not fight back when Lion killed her for the throne, unable to lift a claw against her daughter despite the omens that foretold it.

Roaring Lion was a dangerous force to be reckoned with due to her ability to rally up unconditional support from those who adored her, and to twist the words of others with ease. An outspoken cat who tried to convince others of her true nature vanished while on a walk alone, and an Advisor who had lost faith in her was killed quickly in a duel initiated in some effort to prove something, and Lion did not receive a single scar throughout her life despite the bloodshed all around her.

Grinning Shadow was a cat she did not seem to truly love - she needed an Heir, and Shadow’s blind devotion was convenient for them to become mates. Their sole kit was frail and not very bright, and when Dust was named the Heir despite this, Shadow was enraged - but surprisingly, Lion was defensive of her son and thought him worthy of the title. She did not attempt to raise him to become bloodthirsty like herself, and it was towards Dust that she was the most desperate to fool - for perhaps she did not want her son to see her for what she truly was.

When Grinning Shadow was killed in a clash with the Court, Lion grew more eager to shed the blood of their enemies. War was waged for many moons, and in the meantime, Lion raised her son to know nothing but love and comfort, hardly allowing him to join on these raids.

Her final day was spent face-to-face with her sworn enemy on the battlefield, clashing with Striking Peregrine in that fateful war. Some say she hesitated because her son had snuck along and had caught her eye, frozen in terror upon seeing his mother’s true nature as the Crimson Bloodbeast. And only then did Peregrine gain the upper hand, tearing every last life from Lion until she finally grew still, Scattered Dust merely watching helplessly until the very end.

Roaring Lion left a chilling legacy in her wake, with many cats questioning their morality now that her influence was suddenly gone. She had brought out the worst in her subjects, and the sudden peaceful reign of Dust was a brutal awakening of how tyrannical she had been, and how her bloodlust had spread like a disease within the Empire. In their shame for following her so blindly, the elders would tell stories of how she had been feared rather than adored; that she was obeyed because there was no other choice.

But the stars know the truth. And so does her son, who is still incapable of passing on the comfortable lie that most prefer to tell.